George w



(No Model.)

G. W. M'OORMAN.

BURIAL GASKET LID.

No. 402,846. Patented May 7, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WV. MOORMAN, OF EDINBURG, ASSIGNOR -OF ONE-HALF TO MILTON F. MADDOX, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

BURIAL-GASKET LID.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,846, dated May 7, 1889.

Application tiled August 4, 1888. Serial No. 281,937. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. MOORMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edinburg, in the county of Johnson and State ot Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Burial-Casket Lids, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in burial-casket lids.

io The object of my improvement is to permit the withdrawal of a portion of the lid of the casket from the upper portions of a corpse placed therein without the removal of any .portion of the lid from the casket, as hereinafter fully described.

rlhe accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure l represents a view in perspective showing' the lid closed. Fig. 2 represents a 2o similar view showing` the lid open. Fig. 3

represents a central longitudinal section showing the lid open. Fig. 4 represents a similar section showing the lid closed. Fig. 5 represents a transverse section.

The casket-top A is of the usual raised form, having a central opening, B, extending nearly the Whole length and width of the casket. Said central opening is closed by two lids, C and D.

3o Lid C is of suitable length to cover the lower part of the body of acorpse, and it is attached at each end to the top of the casket by short links e c and f f. Said links are pivoted at their opposite ends, respectively, to the body 3 5 ot` the casket and to the lid, and the edges of the lid are rabbeted, as at h, Fig. 3, so as to overlap the edges of the opening B, the whole arrangement being such that the lid may rest upon the edges of and tightly close the lower 4o part of the opening B, as in Figs. l and 4, or may be supported a short distance above the opening by the links e e and f f, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Th e lid D is of suitable length to abut against the upper end of lid C and complete the elosing of the opening B. It is rabbeted on the edges, so as to rest upon the edges of the opening, and is provided at the upper end with a lug,', which enters a corresponding depression, j, in the upper end of the body. 5c

G is a glass plate arranged to slide longitudinally in grooves in the body of the casket below the lid and to cover the upper part of opening B.

In operation, it being desirable to expose the face and upper portion of the corpse, lid C is raised and` pushed slightly downward until links @and f become perpendicular, thus supporting the lid a short distance above the opening. Lid D'is now slid along the edges 6o of the opening B underneath the lid C, thus uncovering the upper portion ot the opening. Vhen closed, the lug 'L' on lid D enters the depression j and thus prevents the lifting of the lid, and lid C, being closed down, abuts against the lower end of lid D and keeps it in position. The two lids may be further secured by a lock, L, mounted in one of the lids. By the use of this device the casket-lid may be opened for viewing the corpse with the least 7o possible disturbance, and without interfering with the decorations on the lower part of the lid.

I claim as my invention- The co1nbination,\vith the bodyof a casket, 75 of a casket-lid consisting of two sections, one of which is connected to the body of the casket by folding supports Ywhich are arranged to support the lid above the body of the casket and the other ot' `which is arranged to slide 8o longitudinally beneath the rst section when raised, substantially as and for the purpose specitied.

GEORGE WV. MOORMAN.

Witnesses:

H. 'ROLLIN MALONE, W. E. DUREEEE. 

